My Favorite Winter Food, and My First Giveaway

Wandering the stalls at the farmers market, I see sturdy, toothsome, bulbous and gnarly veg fill most bins to overflowing. I could be frustrated by the lack of bright & juicy flavors, but rather than knock these quiet players, I admire the the substance they provide to tide me during the pantry days of winter. I hope you will fall in love too, and hurry yourself with your cold-weather layers to get to the market and make a similar, sublime meal.

(for all recipes, scroll to bottom)

Very roasted ruby turnips & chiogga beets

Maple syrup glazed delicata squash rings

Quince jelly, sage, pine nuts, and garlic-stuffed pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables

And, a little bit of fun as I perfected my shot....

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As time has gone on and my blog has grown, a number of wonderful food writers and cookbook authors have sent me copies of their latest musings on food to share with my readers. I am excited to share with you the first in a series of giveaways! 

Renowned raw foods chef, with a masters in Holistic Nutrition (is is the new year, after all, and we all want to eat what's good out there), Mark Reinfeld has put together The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, with 150 plant-based delicious recipes. In it includes selections such as Dutch Stamppot, Bread Pudding with Chocolate Sauce, Six-Herb Botanical Juice, Bocadillos, and Buckwheat Galettes with Tarragon Cream. He shares the details on specialty items which help convey the deep flavors meat would otherwise impart, as well as options to include in place of dairy for a rich texture and satisfying flavor. For anyone who seeks to broaden their repertoire of plant-based eating, this is a great find. The recipes are easy to follow, with ingredients that are widely available, and Reinfeld offers wine and beer pairings to boot. 

To win your very own copy of this new book, either: subscribe to my blog and leave a comment on how you would like to eat with greater consciousness at the end of this post; follow me on Twitter - @melinaphotos - and leave a comment there; or, like my Facebook page - Melina Hammer Photography - and leave me a note there! I will put your names into one of my favorite hats and pull one at random. Chances to win this giveaway end at midnight EST, Sunday February 3rd, and is available only to United States participants. I will alert who the winner is shortly after and then get your shipping address to send along the book. Good luck everyone!!! 

Update - February 10th: the winner is "Unknown," from the comments below. Please send me your name and address via email to info@melinaphotos.com so that I may send you your cookbook! 

Winter Food Recipes - 

Very roasted ruby turnips & chiogga beets

a good handful of each turnips and beets - you can substitute other variations of each, if these specified are unavailable in your neighborhood

sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Scrub the turnips and beets and trim any bruised surfaces. Quarter smaller turnips, and cut into similar-sized wedges the larger ones. Slice beets into half-inch thick disks. Place everything onto a baking sheet. Pour some olive oil into a small bowl and brush onto surfaces with basting brush, then scatter sea salt and pepper onto all. 

Roast on bottom rack in oven, turning after 15 minutes or so (once bottom surfaces become golden). Turn again after another 15 minutes, or until sides become browned and lovely. As ovens vary, check the roasting at 15-minute intervals and remove from oven once and for all when a slice/wedge, pierced with a fork, gives way easily. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack and transfer to a serving platter. Season again with salt and pepper, and enjoy.

Maple syrup glazed delicata squash rings

2 delicata squash, cut into (1/2-inch - 1-inch) thick rings, seeds and stringy bits gently scraped out with a spoon

1/3 cup good maple syrup - I used Crown Maple Syrup 

1/3 cup good olive oil

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Place squash in a single layer on one or two baking sheets as needed. Combine equal parts syrup and oil in a bowl, and using a basting brush paint mixture onto top surfaces of the squash. Sprinkle sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, and place into oven to roast. Check after 20 minutes, using a thin spatula to lift squash from tray surface: the undersides should be somewhat crisp, caramelized, and golden. Replace in oven to roast if squash is not yet done, checking at 5-7 minute intervals until caramelized. Scrape the glazed bits from the pan to add to the delicata rings and transfer to a serving platter. Great as a snack, over pasta, and as a side to accompany roasted meats.

Quince Jelly - from Leda Meredith's Food Preservation

3 large, ripe quince

4 cups water

2 cups cane sugar

Wash quince, scrubbing off any fuzz, and trim the stems. Core the fruit by chopping around the cores. Place the quince in a large saucepan and pour the water over. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until fruit is mushy-soft, about an hour. Mash the cooked fruit with a potato masher. If quince is on the dry side, add more water. The ideal consistency is like a soupy applesauce. Place a fine-meshed sieve over a large bowl and ladle the quince mash into the sieve. Leave to drain for 2 hours, saving the remaining mashed quince for compost or to make membrillo.

There should be about 2 cups or so of juice drained into the bowl. If you do not have that amount, stir a little more water into the mash in the sieve and allow to drain through. Sterilize a canning jar in a boiling water bath. Measure the quince juice and pour into a large saucepan. Add just over 3/4 cup sugar per cup of juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly at first, to dissolve the sugar. Stir occasionally after, until the jell point is reached. More on finding the jell point, here.  

Ladle jelly into the jar, leaving a half-inch head space, and after screwing the lid on tightly, process in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and allow to cool completely. The jelly will set as it cools and be completely jelly in 2 days. Yummy deliciousness - great aside roasted meats, paired with cheeses, spooned onto rustic crackers, over yogurt, and more.

Quince jelly-sage-pine nut-garlic-stuffed roasted pork tenderloins

4 tbsp quince jelly

12 fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed and butterflied - if  you have a good butcher, he can do this for you 

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper

good olive oil 

kitchen twine

Slather the inside surface of the butterflied tenderloins with jelly. In a small bowl, combine the sage and garlic with s & p, and enough olive oil to hold the ingredients together. Spoon that mixture along the center, down the length of the tenderloins, and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts. 

Cut a number of lengths of kitchen twine to thread underneath the pork. Wrap left and right sides of meat together, forming a roll, and then tie twine into knots at intervals, securing the stuffing inside. Generously season tenderloins with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Heat a large cast iron skillet until hot at medium-high heat, pour a good glug of olive oil in and see it shimmer, then sear the tenderloins on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer tenderloin bundles to a baking sheet and roast in oven for 10-15 minutes. The center should be rosy when cut into with a knife. Allow meat to rest on a carving board for 5 minutes, and then cut tenderloins into half-inch thick medallions on a slight diagonal, discarding twine as you go. Place on a serving platter beside roasted veggies, and have extra quince jelly available to spoon on top. 

If your saliva has got going and you find yourself hankering for more, remember this story as you add to the mix.... Hearty, sweet, delicious eating.

Our Global Kitchen: Food, Culture, Nature

A couple weeks ago The American Museum of Natural History sent me a press preview invitation for their new exhibit, now open to the public, called Our Global Kitchen. With my fingers on the pulse of food in one way or another these days (i.e. all over the place, which I just l-o-v-e), I knew this should not be missed. It did not disappoint.

Our Global Kitchen is one of the most information-dense exhibits I have visited, filled with details on historical kitchens both simple and grand; ancient growing and eating practices; meals from around the world (and different époques); various solutions to the very real and worsening issue of food scarcity; alternating food demonstrations, and more. Generally, everything food.

Since we all eat and have a gazillion relationships to food, I thought it relevant to share and encourage you to find out more for yourselves. Go see Our Global Kitchen and bring your friends, your family, so you can chew over the layers, together.

Container gardens on display. Samples of watercress, mustard greens, thyme varieties, and more were available to taste.

This piece really struck me.  Seems criminal that the "hard and flavorless" is what is widely available.

The figures detailing meat production are dismaying, astounding. On right, future-forward ways of growing more to feed more.

Yup, worms. Maguey larvae were a delicacy in the Aztec court, and remain popular today.

The great Aztec marketplace circa 1500 - insects and lizards as popular meat sources, available for trade

These items are really the tip of the iceberg... the exhibit touched briefly on the truth behind these figures.

This towering display shows what an American family of four wastes in one year

I have shared what might seem like a considerable bit, but the exhibit delves into much more. It is a fairly comprehensive look at all our identities through food: where we have been, and where we are headed. Appropriate for all ages, allow at least a few hours to take it all in. When you've finished, go find some great food (and maybe a drink or two) to share as you ponder....

Comfort and Good Food in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

No one could have guessed just how greatly people would be affected by superstorm-frankenstorm-latest-climate-change-disaster-Hurricane Sandy. I am fortunate in my neck of the woods to have only sustained numerous fallen trees. We are so grateful to have our lives intact.

Photos courtesy of Jim Lafferty

On Tuesday as everyone began to pick up the pieces, we drank with a wonderful woman who had lost pretty much everything. Her home was swallowed in a fire that leveled much of her block. She swam across the street against the strong current to safety - with the help of a rope anchored to a house there - leaving behind a wonderful bean stew she'd been cooking on her stove, along with everything else in her home.

Yesterday, I spent the day baking cookies for relief victims. Home cooking makes such a difference in times of intensity. With my famous rosemary-sea salt-shortbread cookies and new double chocolate chunk cookies in tow, along with bags of supplies, prepared foods, clothing, and the like, my husband and I borrowed a friend's car and made drop-offs at two relief centers in Brooklyn. I wish I could have made 10 times as many, seeing faces light up at the offer of freshly-baked treats. It was one way in which I could begin to mend the frustration and loss that so many people now face.

(For recipes, scroll to bottom)

To weather the storm, we stocked our pantry well. On-hand was plenty of wine, prosecco, tequila, and the like, and I made toasted hazelnut & dried cranberry granola, easy guacamole, and an all-time-fave, roasted pumpkin fondue. The creamy-cheesy roasted savory-sweet goodness of the squash (and some bubbly to wash it down with) made a great difference through the howling of the storm.

There are many ways each of us can help. You can donate here to help a great woman who ran an animal rescue and lost her business, home, and a number of the animals she cared for. If you are local to NY/NJ, you can visit here to find out where to drop goods off, and to learn what people need most.

As I get caught up, I realize we are approaching the national elections in just a few, short days. There is a very important bill for review in California that I wanted to share with you. Passage of this bill, named Prop 37, will grant Californians the right to truth in food labeling. Big Food does not want this transparency. They want to continue operating under the radar, retaining the ambiguity of what foods are or aren't GMOs. Unlabeled, these foods have an easier chance of ending up in our pantries and onto our plates, but, with an educated public, we all can assert we have the right to know what we are eating and feeding our families. You can learn more about it here, here, here, here, and here. Just as we require that food be labeled if it has sugar or fat in it, we deserve to know if there are genetically modified ingredients as well. Please share this milestone opportunity with your friends everywhere, as what happens in California will undoubtedly pave the way for the nation. Vote YES on proposition 37. We deserve the truth.

And, lastly......

I'd made some wonderful mussel recipes when my friend Jon sent a batch not too long ago, and I am excited to share a new favorite recipe with you. These mussels have ruined me for any other, which I almost always find lacking in adequate plumpness and freshness. The mussels are from Taylor Shellfish Farms. Top-notch, every bit juicy and wonderful.

Freshly harvested, the mussels' beards are still intact

Celery & Pernod Mussels with Saffron Aioli

Celery & Pernod Mussels with Saffron Aioli

Serves 2-4

for aioli -
a good pinch of saffron threads, steeped in a tiny bit of warm water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup good mayonnaise - I use grapeseed oil Veganaise, it tastes great!

for mussels -
good olive oil
4 celery ribs, sliced thinly on a mandoline
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 1/2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup veg or chicken stock
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup Pernod
sea salt and cracked black pepper

 Allow saffron to steep in warm water for at least five minutes. Add saffron mixture and garlic to mayonnaise, stirring thoroughly to combine. Season to taste with s & p, cover and refrigerate. This can be done a day in advance.

In a cast iron skillet, heat a generous glug of olive oil over a medium-high flame. Sautée shallots for a few minutes, stirring as they brown. Add garlic and sautée for another minute. Pour in Pernod, wine, and stock, and once liquid is bubbling, add in the mussels. Using tongs or a spoon, make sure they are in a single layer and cover with a lid, cooking until their shells have opened, about 5 minutes. Turn the flame off. Toss in the celery and parsley and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper, and serve in large shallow bowls, accompanied by crusty bread.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies - adapted from the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

makes 24 4-inch cookies

3 pastured eggs at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 5 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup moist brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups cane sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chunks - I chop a larger bar, using Callebaut, into smaller chunk pieces for both

In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla extract, whisking to combine. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda + powder, almond meal, and salt. Combine butter and sugars in a third bowl and, with an electric mixer, cream on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, incorporating all the bits back together. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add half the egg-vanilla mixture to the fluffy sugar-butter mix and beat to combine. Add the remainder, and beat again to combine. Add the dry mixture and beat on low until evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and stir until just combined. Portion large tablespoon-sized mounds (about 1/4 cup apiece) evenly apart on parchment paper-lined baking trays, keeping it to 6 mounds per tray (the cookies will spread as they bake). Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are browned and keeping the centers lighter, for that perfect gooey-done consistency. If you are baking on multiple trays, rotate which is on top/bottom for even baking. Cool on a wire rack and serve while chocolate is still slightly melty, about 15 minutes.


Roasted Pumpkin Fondue

Serves 1-2, depending on the size of your squash

One smallish pumpkin, top cut off and seeds scraped out
Thinly sliced stale bread/well-toasted bread - I used a combination of french baguette, a seeded loaf, and rye - use whatever you have laying around
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup grated gruyère or other melty cheese
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
small pinch of cayenne
sea salt and cracked pepper
Good olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk to combine stock, cream, and spices. Rub a bit of olive oil around the entire exterior of the squash as well as its top, and place on a parchment paper-lined roasting pan. Layer slices of bread, followed by cheese, until you have filled the cavity of the pumpkin. Pour in the stock-cream mixture. Replace the pumpkin top and bake for 45 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash is fork tender. Remove the top and allow to cool for a few minutes and eat directly from the squash, or serve into bowls, being sure to scrape the soft pumpkin flesh out to accompany the fondue. Yummm.


We are at a time of reflection - both with the passing of the year, days shortening and more time spent indoors, and also because this life-changing disaster has struck. Find what makes you feel most fulfilled, and do more of it. Be hungry for that search. Help your neighbors and your friends in the midst of it all. That is what being alive is about. xxxoo

Fall, Fairytale Mushrooms, and the 2012 Food & Nutrition Conference Workshop

Wild Mushrooms and Pasta with Gremolata - scroll to bottom for recipe

 

Participants having their chance at the beauties on set...

This is the set photograph. My set-up AND shots done in minus-5 minutes! I need a rematch...

 Roasted Delicata Squash salad - scroll to bottom for recipe

 

Garlic Chive Cream Cheese-Crème Fraîche Spread with Grissini - scroll to bottom for recipe

Highlighting specific tools, their benefits, and ways to make "the familiar"  in food fresh or new

Photo: courtesy Liz Weiss

Photo: courtesy Rebecca Bitzer

Last week, I taught a four-hour workshop to over 80 registered nutritionists and dietitians as a new addition to their annual conference. With time - though not enough! - for everyone to get hands-on experience at three different sets, a slide presentation (about all kinds of goodies), and discussion on cooking and styling tips, tools, and sourcing  ingredients, it was nonstop. I had a wonderful time. Between sharing my wisdom hard-earned over the years, to running around during a ten-minute break to set up food at each of the three sets and pop a few shots to compare later (aaaahhhhh!! plus thirty or so pairs of eyes watching my every move as I worked my "magic"), I was at my most adaptable best. The eagerness and clarity of attention given to me by this group was so heartening. Thank you everyone, for helping make the day such a success. And, a special thanks to Janet, Liz, and Regan for helping create this essential piece in the conference puzzle.

To prepare, I had a blast getting up early to source the above mushrooms from great wild food gatherers Les Hook and Nova Kim, at the lovely New Amsterdam Market. I also felt a certain satisfaction at throwing together the quintessentially autumn salad of delicata squash, celery, toasted hazelnuts, and pomegranate seeds (which nicely held up - for an hour! - as people photographed it). As a surprise at the end of the day, I gave away all of the props laid out on the tables, passing along a piece of my studio to all who came. Fun!

Here are the recipes:

Wild Mushrooms and Pasta with Gremolata 
Adapted from the New York Times recipe, printed last week

A few handfuls of wild mushrooms of any kind that please you - I used Lobster, Matsutake, Red-capped Scabers, and some Slippery Jacks
Zest from 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
good extra virgin olive oil
a knob of butter
pasta whose shapes will catch the bits of gremolata mixture - think creases and folds, curls, etc. - I used nodi marini, which translates to "mariner's knot", and which you can find here

Combine the garlic, lemon zest, and parsely. Cover and set aside. Heat a couple glugs of olive oil and the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brush clean any debris from the mushrooms and slice thinly, and toss them in. Let the mushrooms sweat, and then stir to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add more olive oil or butter as necessary, along with s & p to taste. Meanwhile, boil pasta in salted water timed according to package instructions, al dente. Drain, toss into a bowl with gremolata, adding additional olive oil to lubricate the mixture, and stir in mushrooms. Season with s & p to taste. You may add grated pecorino or parmesan, but with mushrooms this good, their rich flavors are so savory that the cheese would lay them to waste. Add a nice black-fruit round red wine, and you are set.

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad
This recipe is less about specific quantities, and more about what you are in the mood for, proportion-wise...

Delicata squash, rinsed, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 pomegranate, seeds removed
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
celery ribs, sliced thinly on a mandoline
good extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
s & p to taste

Lay the squash half-rings onto a baking sheet. Paint with olive oil and season with s & p. Roast at 325 degrees for a half hour, or until nicely caramelized on one side. Let cool on a wire rack. Toss together the delicata, celery, and pomegranate seeds in a mixing bowl, and transfer to a serving platter. Scatter hazelnuts and drizzle with oil and vinegar. Season with freshly cracked pepper and sea salt, and enjoy.

Garlic Chive-Cream Cheese-Crème Fraîche Spread
...kind of like the best boursin around...

2 8-oz packages cream cheese (buy grass-fed if you can)
2 heaping tbsp crème fraîche (same, here)
2 good tbsp finely chopped garlic chives
s & p to taste

Fold all ingredients together until well combined. Great with grissini, olive bread, tortilla chips, as a veg dip, and with many other foods. Easy-peasy!

I am having so many great experiences. Now that the workshop is behind me, there are many other projects on which to apply the finishing touches, or dive in and create. I will have a story in an internationally produced magazine which you can look forward to in 2013, along with just-completing new branding materials for a lifestyle guru, as well as numerous NYC locations I've scouted and photographed for a website soon-to-launch. There are more great projects coming to fruition....I feel quite grateful at the chance to get creative with all of the wonderful people in each different realm. Wooo-hooo!!!